“Uncle Tom” is Ebonics for “Superhero”

The 2013 movie, Man of Steel, is a more serious remake (and re-boot) of the 1983 classic, Superman II. The 1983 version was probably the best of the Superman collection of films, introducing the storyline that this traditional American hero, wrapped in the American flag, actually desired to be human like everyone else and to leave his super powers behind in order to feel real human love. A similar theme is resounded in the "Five for Fighting" song, Superman (It's not easy,) which speaks of an otherwise unnamed hero who "can't stand to fly," but is "more than a bird, more than a plane, more than a pretty face beside a train…" who laments that "even heroes have the right to dream."

Superman II presents us Superman (Kal-El) as the most human we've ever seen him. We see his father (Jor-El, played by Marlon Brando) and Mother as they work to save their son just before the destruction of their home planet, Krypton. We also learn that three other Kryptonians (led by General Zod) survive as they are imprisoned for their crimes in the Phantom Zone. Before he is finally sentenced, Zod shouts to Jor-El that his child will kneel before him. Zod is the classic villain, because he wishes to make all others submit to him and kneel before him in subservience.

In November of this year, I participated in a forum on a Black TV Station (TV One) hosted by Roland Martin. We were joined by notable Black commentators, Dr. Julianne Malveaux and Cornell Belcher, both dedicated leftists. My part on this panel was specifically to defend republicans like Dr. Ben Carson and Sarah Palin who had made references to slavery. In the case of Ben Carson, he said that Obamacare was "the worst thing to happen to this nation since slavery," and that in a way, "IT IS SLAVERY." I dedicated my remarks to defending these comments, as I had been urging the GOP to adopt a similar message since Obamacare was introduced to the American People in 2009. I challenged my Senator, Ben Cardin (not to be confused with the previously-mentioned neurosurgeon) on the Constitutionality of Obamacare, declaring that the framers gave us a Bill of Rights to protect the People from this very kind of act, which violates everyone's freedom. The 5th Amendment guarantees that no Citizen can be deprived of Liberty without due process of the law. But then, as now, my words fell on deaf ears and dumb minds. I remarked to Roland Martin that on September 9th, 2009, Barack Obama declared to the American People, seemingly in response to my remarks to my Senator that were televised and replayed on TV and radio, that "under my plan, individuals will be REQUIRED to carry basic health insurance." (Full video here.) I can't help but notice that Man of Steel tries to magnify the novel and obscure idea that the "S" on Superman's chest means "hope" on planet Krypton. However, it is more clearly an allusion to the deceptive slogan of Barack Obama's campaign and the numerous depictions of Obama as Superman—ironic that America's most iconic, flag-waving superhero is equated to someone who wants to "fundamentally transform the United States of America." Obama has a lot more in common with General Zod, who when properly portrayed, demands that all others kneel before him.

Two days after my appearance on the show, a video appeared on Youtube claiming that Roland Martin was battling over slavery with an "Uncle Tom." The sad thing is the producers of this video showed their own ignorance in using that term. It derives from the antebellum, antislavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe called Uncle Tom's Cabin. Based in-part on the actual tale of a Maryland man named Josiah Henson, Stowe wrote of the travails of a good man named "Tom," who was treated well by his master, George, and respected by the other slaves who worked on the property. However unlike today's Democrats, Uncle Tom was neither submissive nor obedient to those who kept him in bondage. He helped the slave girl Eliza escape to freedom and meet up with her husband (also named George) and son George, Jr. across the Ohio River. Making sure that the boy who was handsome and desired by nefarious slave-traders didn't get sold south in a crooked deal, Tom sacrificed himself and ended up being traded to the cruel and heartless Simon Legree. On Legree's plantation, where consistent with the vision of socialism all slaves were kept in a state of equal misery, Tom took solace in carrying out church service every Sunday. Recognizing Christianity as a threat to slavery, Legree forbade Tom to preach to the other slaves. Again, contrary to the myth that modern Blacks perpetuate about Uncle Tom, he was entirely disobedient and continued holding services. On this plantation, Tom also helped the slave girl Emmeline escape to freedom, as well as her predecessor Cassie, both of whom Legree had taken as bed wenches. In the last scene when the women were making their break for freedom, they asked Tom if he would run with them. Tom declined because he was now too old. He returned to pray, and for it, Simon Legree sets two black slaves (named Sambo and Quimbo) upon Tom with whips to teach him a final, bloody lesson. They beat him to death, but in his dying words and in Christ-like fashion, Tom forgave them.

For over 150 years, the term "Uncle Tom" has been misunderstood. But misunderstanding is nothing new to American Blacks, who were once divided on whether intellectual elitism (championed by W.E.B. Dubois) or hard work and industry (championed by Booker T. Washington) were the best way to uplift their race out of its last-place position according to standards created by socialists to measure the progress of a people. Rather than reject this socialist standard, we Blacks believed the lie and still measure up in last place by every socialist metric to this day. For all of our shortcomings on standardized tests, crime, healthcare, etc, American Blacks blame White people all over the world and all throughout time—even into the future—happy to engage in the self-fulfilling prophecy that because of 89 years of slavery, Black people will always be inferior. (You can get it up to 350 years if you count European enslavement of Black Africans before the American Revolution, but this shows the scapegoating of blame has less to do with the sins of a nation and more to do with a perpetual hate that comes from blaming everything on race.) This necessarily ignores all the years up to the present day that Black Africans enslaved others, including their own countrymen, and Whites as well. As part of this victim mentality, American Blacks dreamed up the concept of "Ebonics" to excuse parents from requiring their children to learn standard English. An entire system of rules was even developed to explain the colloquialism known as "slang" or "jive." Even the invention of new words and phrases, or the reversal of a word's meaning (such as "bad" meaning "good") can be attributed to Ebonics. This would clearly explain the confused and misplaced use of the term, "Uncle Tom."

Much like Kal-El in Superman II, Uncle Tom has been misunderstood by society. When Kal-El wanted to be with Lois Lane, his Father, Jor-El, helped him become human, but warned there was no turning back. Realizing that Zod was now on earth and terrorizing the citizens of Houston, Kal-El returns to his crystal fortress and uses the green crystal to summon his father and get his powers back. When he returns to Houston, Superman attempts to fight Zod and his two henchmen, but he was no match for all three and gets literally "thrown under the bus." Although prior to this, Superman threw Zod into a Coca-Cola sign and hit the other Kryptonian (Non) with a manhole cover (but as a gentleman, refrained from hitting the female Ursa,) when Superman crawls out, seemingly defeated, and flies away, two Black children look at each other and one says, "Superman didn't do nuthin!" (As you might have guessed, the double-negative and the dropping of the final "g" are part of the rules of Ebonics.) But this misunderstanding of Superman's actions must also be a feature of Ebonics. As Superman was leading the three back to the Fortress of Solitude where he would trick Lex Luthor into making the Kryptonians expose themselves to the same metabolic process that made him human. In so doing, he was able to defeat Zod, Lois Lane was able to knock Ursa/Faora to her death, and the Non/Nom-Ek, thinking he could fly, fell to his demise. Although the people of Earth didn't understand it, Superman was saving the day. And it was the same phenomenon with Uncle Tom.

This scenario plays itself out many times with other superheroes as well. Batman, the Fantastic Four, and most notoriously Spiderman all have storylines where, although heroes working for good, they find themselves frequently hated by society as if they were in fact the villains. "Uncle Tom," therefore, is clearly an Ebonic term for "superhero." Black people clearly disown other Blacks, like Dr. Ben Carson, (a world-renowned brain surgeon who has made WORLD HISTORY, not just Black history,) when they stand for the good of their race and the good of all people; while instead embracing others—even if they are White—who advocate doing what is immoral, illegal, and ungodly. In the name of opposing true heroes, Black Americans even embrace Slavery—just as Roland Martin and those other Black commentators did last November. As the show ended, Julianne Malveaux responded to my claim that Ben Carson IS a good man, by saying that he WAS a good man—implying that by standing for God and for Freedom, he had somehow become evil. American Blacks should ask themselves if they're supporting heroes like Superman, or if in the blindness of racial hate, they're really supporting General Zod.

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About the AuthorRobert Broadus

Robert Broadus (aka Brutus) is a writer and course instructor for Institute on the Constitution, an educational outreach that presents the Founders’ American View of Law and Government. Broadus is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and as Navy Veteran he is not a Republican or a Democrat — he is an Anti-Federalist. Broadus hosted the East-Coast Anti-Federalist radio show on Liberty Works Radio, and was a candidate for the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives from the state of Maryland.
Mr. Broadus has been an outspoken opponent of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), has campaigned to legislate an end to the personal income tax, and has fought for the preservation of our rights of conscience and religion.
Robert has contributed to Fox News, AOL News, The New York Times, CBS, Rush Limbaugh Show, Washington Times, and more…